Roscoe’s Corey Anderson fights for contract, title

Up-and-coming MMA star Corey Anderson is feeling no pressure, even with a fight looming with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, and even more people watching.

He’ll have to deal with both Sunday night as he finds himself one MMA victory away from a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He’ll step into the octagon cage inside a jam-packed Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas during Sunday’s The Ultimate Fighter season-19 live finale show, where he’ll take on Matt Van Buren for the show’s light-heavyweight title.

Still, even a couple of short days before the biggest fight night of his life, the former NIC-10 conference champ and the state-qualifying wrestler for Hononegah was sleeping well, and feeling no nerves.

“I don’t put pressure on myself, no matter what’s going on around me,” Anderson said in a phone interview while training in Toms River, New Jersey. “I have so much confidence in my ability that I just don’t feel pressure. I know what I have to do, and I know what I can do — they are one and the same.”

He was a different person last year. He never even thought he had a chance of making The Ultimate Fighter reality show on FOX Sports 1, let alone starring in it, and dominating his way to the final matches.

“My trainer talked me into it,” Anderson said of the tryout last September, “and we jumped in his car at midnight one night after work and went out there just to give it a shot.”

Even after he made the cut and was one of 16 MMA fighters chosen for the 19th season, few out there believed he could make it to the end of the show. Soon he was a top-draft-pick for Frankie Edgar, and he mowed through his three opponents on the show, setting up the fight that could land him in the UFC.

After fast forwarding nine-plus months, my how things have changed for the Roscoe native.

“These days I get excited just thinking about it. To go from where I came from to being here, this fast, it’s just amazing,” Anderson said. “For a kid who barely made it out of middle school, barely made it out of high school, to get through college, work hard at everything, and then find himself in this spot? Come on man, how can I not be excited.

“But, heck, I don’t feel any pressure. The pressure’s on him.”

Anderson, who had just three MMA fights before earning a spot on the highly-watched reality show, turned into one of the show’s stars while TUF-19 was taped from Oct. 13-Nov. 23. The final regular episode of the show aired Wednesday night, when Van Buren defeated Daniel Spohn to set up Sunday’s light-heavyweight showdown.

Now, the 10-card fight night for Sunday is set, and Anderson is a big part of it. He’s slated to be a part of the third-to-last fight of the night – not bad for a kid who had three jobs, including one as an assistant wrestling coach at little Lincoln College, less than a year ago.

“I believed in myself, and I know how to work hard. Those are the things that got me through this the most,” Anderson said. “Now I’m that close; I could be a UFC star some day.”

How close does he feel he is from that big step.

“I’m definitely banging on the door,” Anderson added. “Now, I’m just waiting for the answer.”